The dance of sun and earth has inspired celebrations of the human spirit, expressed through art and music, throughout the ages. Honouring many cultural traditions, the annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival illuminates the longest night of the year with lanterns, fire, singing, drumming, live music, dancing - and skating!

On December 22nd, 6:00 - 10:00 pm, come celebrate the return of the sun with a glowing constellation of lanterns shining in six Vancouver neighbourhoods. These six little festivals are community-based and reflect the unique nature of each neighbourhood. Intimate and accessible, each invites participation and each holds special attractions.

West End processions leave from West End and Coal Harbour Community Centers.

Granville Island processions start at Leg-In-Boot Square, the Market Courtyard on Granville Island and at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre (see Last-minute Lanterns). These 3 processions converge on Granville Island and are greeted by the traditional torch-lit Song Of Welcome by the Vancouver Morris Men. The Carnival Band and the Rhythm Spirit Drummers join forces to lead everyone over to the hill where once again and back by popular demand, a spectacular fire sculpture and fire performance will light the darkest night.

Strathcona and Chinatown processions start at the Strathcona Community Centre and Science World.

The East Side - Commercial Drive procession starts with at festival by the Secret Lantern Society at the Britannia Community Centre.

Wherever you wind up, we hope you feel connected to your community and to the universal spirit of celebration!

Do you have a bike? Do you like riding it? At night? Pack some warm socks, dig up some bike lights, and start thinking of tasty ways to make booze hot -- the next midnight ride is the Thursday before Critical Mass.

Meet 11:45 pm at Grandview Park (Commercial Drive at Charles Street -- across from the Havana and Turks) and ride at midnight.

The Midnight Mass Bike Ride happens on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month. So mark your calendars, tell your bike loving friends, and hope to see you there!

Join fellow bicyclists, skaters, and bladers for a leisurely and spirited ride and roll through the streets of Vancouver celebrating Winter Solstice and the last ride of 1006!

Meet at the Vancouver Art Gallery on the Georgia Street side between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m., and roll and ride at 6:00 p.m. The ride is on rain, shine, or snow! Illuminated and decorated bicycles, trailers, costumes, signs, flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters and sound systems, drums, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged. After the ride is a Velofusion party starting 8:00 p.m. at the ANZA Club, 3 West 8th at the Ontario Bike Route.

Pre-rides to Critical Mass:

UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.

Celebrated around the world, Critical Mass is a grassroots reclamation of public space -- on the last Friday of the month -- which allows cyclists and other self-propelled people to move safely and comfortably through city streets in a car-free space. Non-polluting forms of transportation are promoted.

The Velofusion Critical Mass afterparty is going to be hot hot HOT -- so brave the cold with cause and clever constructions all! CR Avery (and more) will be playing at the Anza for y'all after Mass. Plus DJ's, pizza, movies, performances and dancing!

Where: The Anza Club, #3 West 8th Avenue at the Ontario bike route.Cost: $5 if you arrive with Critical Mass, $10 otherwiseTime: 8pm to 1:30am

This is part of the Velofusion community fund raiser project. All money raised goes back into supporting community projects.

A reminder that there's an idling complaints hotline at 604-257-2404 where you can phone-in licence plate numbers of offenders. The City is not giving out tickets yet -- but are gathering data and the Hotline welcomes information on idlers. Better to make a quick phone call than suffer a coronary from Eco Rage!

In July, 2006, Vancouver City Council unanimously passed an anti-idling bylaw to cut air pollution. Drivers who leave a car running for more than three minutes face a $50 fine and the fine doubles to $100 for anyone caught leaving a car running. However, fines were not to be imposed until January, 2006 -- a six month period. The District of North Vancouver passed a bylaw against idling in 2000, but has yet to ticket anybody with a $45 fine. The City of North Vancouver has had the bylaw on its books for a year.